Modern Painters Volume I Part 28

[47] St. Michael's Mount--England series.

[48] Ill.u.s.tration to the Antiquary. Goldeau, a recent drawing of the highest order.

[49] Vignette to Campbell's Last Man.

[50] Caerlaverock.

[51] St. Denis.

[52] Alps at Daybreak (Rogers's Poems:) Delphi, and various vignettes.

CHAPTER V.

EFFECTS OF LIGHT RENDERED BY MODERN ART.

-- 1. Reasons for merely at present naming, without examining the particular effects of light rendered by Turner.

-- 2. Hopes of the author for a.s.sistance in the future investigation of them.

I have before given my reasons (Sect. II. Chap. III.) for not wishing at present to enter upon the discussion of particular effects of light. Not only are we incapable of rightly viewing them, or reasoning upon them, until we are acquainted with the principles of the beautiful; but, as I distinctly limited myself, in the present portion of the work, to the examination of _general_ truths, it would be out of place to take cognizance of the particular phases of light, even if it were possible to do so, before we have some more definite knowledge of the material objects which they ill.u.s.trate. I shall therefore, at present, merely set down a rough catalogue of the effects of light at different hours of the day, which Turner has represented: naming a picture or two, as an example of each, which we will hereafter take up one by one, and consider the physical science and the feeling together. And I do this, in the hope that, in the mean time, some admirer of the old masters will be kind enough to select from the works of any one of them, a series of examples of the same effects, and to give me a reference to the pictures, so that I may be able to compare each with each; for, as my limited knowledge of the works of Claude or Poussin does not supply me with the requisite variety of effect, I shall be grateful for a.s.sistance.

The following list, of course, does not name the hundredth part of the effects of light given by Turner; it only names those which are distinctly and markedly separate from each other, and representative each of an entire cla.s.s. Ten or twelve examples, often many more, might be given of each; every one of which would display the effects of the same hour and light, modified by different circ.u.mstances of weather, situation, and character of objects subjected to them, and especially by the management of the sky; but it will be generally sufficient for our purposes to examine thoroughly one good example of each.

The prefixed letters express the direction of the light. F. front light (the sun in the centre, or near the top of the picture;) L. lateral light, the sun out of the picture on the right or left of the spectator; L. F. the light partly lateral, partly fronting the spectator, as when he is looking south, with the sun in the south-west; L. B. light partly lateral, partly behind the spectator, as when he is looking north, with the sun in the south-west.

MORNING.

EFFECTS. NAMES OF PICTURES.

L. An hour before sunrise in winter. Violent | Lowestoffe, Suffolk.

storm, with rain, on the sea. Light-houses | seen through it. | | F. An hour before sunrise. Serene sky, with | Vignette to Voyage light clouds. Dawn in the distance. | of Columbus.

| L. Ten minutes before sunrise. Violent | Fowey Harbor.

storm. Torchlight. | | F. Sunrise. Sun only half above the horizon. | Vignette to Human Clear sky, with light cirri. | Life.

| F. Sun just disengaged from horizon. Misty, | Alps at Daybreak.

with light cirri. | | F. Sun a quarter of an hour risen. Sky covered | Castle Upnor.

with scarlet clouds. | | L.F. Serene sky. Sun emerging from a bank | Orford, Suffolk.

of cloud on horizon, a quarter of an hour | risen. | | L.F. Same hour. Light mists in flakes on | Skiddaw.

hill-sides. Clear air. | | L.F. Light flying rain-clouds gathering in | Oakhampton.

valleys. Same hour. | | L.B. Same hour. A night storm rising off the | Lake of Geneva.

mountains. Dead calm. | | L. Sun half an hour risen. Cloudless sky. | Beaugency.

| L. Same hour. Light mists lying in the valleys. | Kirby Lonsdale.

| F. Same hour. Bright cirri. Sun dimly seen | Hohenlinden.

through battle smoke, with conflagration. | | L. Sun an hour risen. Cloudless and clear. | Buckfastleigh.

NOON AND AFTERNOON.

EFFECTS. NAMES OF PICTURES.

L.B. Midday. Dead calm, with heat. Cloudless. | Corinth.

| L. Same hour. Serene and bright, with | Lantern at streaky clouds. | St. Cloud.

| L. Same hour. Serene, with mult.i.tudes of | Shylock, and other the high cirrus. | Venices.

| L. Bright sun, with light wind and clouds. | Richmond, Middles.e.x.

| F. Two o'clock. Clouds gathering for rain, with | Warwick. Blenheim.

heat. | | F. Rain beginning, with light clouds and wind. | Piacenza.

| L. Soft rain, with heat. | Caldron Snout Fall.

| L.F. Great heat. Thunder gathering. | Malvern.

| L. Thunder breaking down, after intense heat, | Winchelsea.

with furious wind. | | L. Violent rain and wind, but cool. | Llamberis, Coventry, | &c.

| L.F. Furious storm, with thunder. | Stonehenge, Paestum, | &c.

| L.B. Thunder retiring, with rainbow. Dead calm, | Nottingham.

with heat. | | L. About three o'clock, summer. Air very | Bingen.

cool and clear. Exhausted thunder-clouds | low on hills. | | F. Descending sunbeams through soft clouds, | Carew Castle.

after rain. | | L. Afternoon, very clear, after rain. A few | Saltash.

clouds still on horizon. Dead calm. | | F. Afternoon of cloudless day, with heat. | Mercury and Argus.

| Oberwesel. Nemi.

EVENING.

EFFECTS. NAMES OF PICTURES.

L. An hour before sunset. Cloudless. | Trematon Castle.

| F. Half an hour before sunset. Light clouds. | Lake Albano.

Misty air. | Florence.

| F. Within a quarter of an hour of sunset. | Dater Hora Quieti.

Mists rising. Light cirri. | | L.F. Ten minutes before sunset. Quite cloudless. | Durham.

| F. Same hour. Tumultuous spray of illumined | Solomon's Pools.

rain-cloud. | Slave ship.

| F. Five minutes before sunset. Sky covered | Temeraire. Napoleon.

with illumined cirri. | Various vignettes.

| L.B. Same hour. Serene sky. Full moon rising. | Kenilworth.

| F. Sun setting. Detached light cirri and clear | Amboise.

air. | | L. Same hour. Cloudless. New moon. | Troyes.

| L.F. Same hour. Heavy storm clouds. Moonrise. | First vignette.

| Pleasures of | Memory.

| L.B. Sun just set. Sky covered with clouds. New | Caudebec.

moon setting. | | L.B. Sun five minutes set. Strong twilight, | Wilderness of Engedi.

with storm clouds. Full moonrise. | a.s.sos.

| L.B. Same hour. Serene, with light clouds. | Montjan.

| L.B. Same hour. Serene. New moon. | Pyramid of Caius | Cestius.

| L.B. Sun a quarter of an hour set. Cloudless. | Chateau de Blois.

| L.F. Sun half an hour set. Light cirri. | Clairmont.

| F. Same hour. Dead calm at sea. New moon and | Cowes.